Melodies of Return
by TechniCutie
Summary: Keira longs for her childhood 'hero' to return. When he does, have things changed? Will they be seperated again, or would Keira give up her village life for a more dangerous adventure?
1. I'm Waiting

Whoa, I'm writing something that isn't Pokemon XD But this is my first time JakxKeira fic, I've just started playing Jak and Daxter TPL and I'm 57% the way through it, so don't flame me if it's not quite right! Of course I don't want any spoilers, I'd kill you. But, this is set in TPL kinda time, with the village and sages. Haven't played the other games yet, so don't be saying 'where's the city' or something because it won't appear until I find out what happens next in the game. XD Rant over! I hope you all enjoy this, although I'm not sure if people read JakxKeira anymore ._.;; R&R!

Disclaimer : I don't own Jak and Daxter it belongs to it's respective owner.

* * *

Melodies of Return

Chapter 1: I'm Waiting

_'Clink.'_

Yet another tiring day in the workshop, and Keira still hadn't progressed with anything. Precursor orbs and gems littered the desks in piles and crates, shining in the twilight sun. Inked blueprints hung from the cracked walls, threatening to fall into buckets of molten liquid she'd gathered earlier from the Fire Canyon. Her fire shield was bust, and she had enough metal scraps to repair it, but...

She just didn't feel in the mood. Not at all.

"Oh, why can't I do anything?" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in a sulk. Her ears drooped slightly as the stool rocked beneath her weight, quite unsafe.

"No one understands...I'm stuck in here all day and all night, I mean, I don't even see anyone anymore!" she heard a loud snore erupting from the room above her, and she sighed. "Not even daddy wants to see me, it seems..."

Biting her lip, she walked over to the circular wooden window that let in most of the light. A sunset was starting in the distance, staining the sky in splats of yellow, orange and red. Like a fiery blaze, she noted.

She longed to be out there, adventuring.

"Why can't you come back...?"

What she really meant is that she longed to be out there, adventuring...

...With _Jak_.

"Jak, although you're silent, I can read everything you say..." she began wistfully, fondly remembering learning his silent language as a child.

*Flashback*

"Jak, you can't stop me! I actually need to know what you're saying!"

Keira pouted her lips as she watched Jak mime to her that she shouldn't trying learning such a hard thing.

The problem was, if she didn't learn, who would? No one else really understood anything he 'said', but he didn't want to trouble anyone with that fact.

"Keira, just leave it...ugh, I'm sick of hearing your one sided arguments..." Daxter was rubbing his head in mock pain, trying to keep a smile off his face at the joke he'd cracked.

"Shut it, Daxter. Jak can't help the fact he can't reply..." Jak simply faced the floor in helplessness, also embarrassment that Keira always stuck up for him, no matter what.

Keira saw his sadness, and quickly added "...why would he want to, anyway? It's not like he'd win an argument with me, is it?" she knelt down beside him, and winked, making Jak go slightly red at her teasing. Daxter faked regurgitating his guts out on the floor, before turning and walking away.

"I can't stand you two lovebirds, I'm out of here." he smirked at their shocked expressions. "Thanks to your father, Keira, I'm scrubbing the floors for weeks!" he trotted away, kicking the sands, annoyed by his new job.

"Aha, Daxter'll never stop teasing, will he?" Keira said uneasily, scratching the back of her head, eyes slowly travelling over to him. Jak nodded, looking back in a lost kind of manner.

This certain gaze of his always shook her, she felt so sorry for him, unable to fight his own battles. She always had to speak for him, but she could tell he didn't want her to.

"Oh, well. Now, show me how..."

*End flashback*

Eventually, she knew it by heart. He never wanted her to have such a burden carried in her mind. But she would insist.

'Jak had been my soul mate as a child, like a rock...'

She giggled, bringing a finger to her lips at the accidental reference she'd made, as rocks couldn't speak. His silence made him overly cute, she'd secretly thought.

But Jak wasn't in the village at the moment, he and his best friend Daxter had been gone for a while now. They were meant to be delivering the potions to the other Sages, but she was certain it had turned into a summer vacation away from the village life. He'd be out exploring deep in the jungles, surfing the waves, and just having fun.

Fun.

"I don't even know the meaning of the word anymore..." she mumbled, watching as two pelicans danced atop the sea's peaceful surface, squawking to each other before flying into the distance.

'Even the pelicans have more fun than me...' she crossed her arms on the mahogany shelf, and lowered her chin to rest upon them. Several glass bottles filled with tested elixirs and antidotes tipped and slid across the wood, but she didn't care.

"Fall over," she muttered inwardly, scoffing at her behaviour of talking to an inanimate object. "I don't care anymore..." her slender fingers tapped the windowsill, as she closed her eyes in the wind. It swept at her turquoise hair, glittering strands landing on her face, flicking at her cheeks.

She had grown tired of the heedless work, she hadn't interacted with anyone in days, it seemed. No one visited her, she was just tucked away in the open basement, away from 'danger.' Her father, the green sage, was wise and all-knowing -if not a little sarcastic and cocky at times- but he feared his daughters safety way too much, and it was costing her teenage years to be boring albeit mind numbing.

Her father's attempt to keep his daughter happy had ironically cost her that it was founded upon.

Happiness.

If she didn't break from the cage of which she was imprisoned, her dark pit of misery was only prone to get deeper and more depressing.

She wanted that happiness, freedom, but unfortunately, that was only found with Jak.

* * *

Squeezing through the narrow gaps in the trees, Jak had finally found his way back. The journey had been long and tiring, suffering had been endured and injuries covered his arms and legs from fierce battles, but he'd made it.

Looking over his shoulder quickly, he checked for signs of Daxter, who had seemed to of gotten lost on the way. Probably tangled in ivy shrubs and thorns, he'd be screaming for his taller, more striking, friend's help.

But Jak was kind of relaxing into it, no irritating voice hammering your ears in every second you disagreed, no fleas buzzing around, and no annoying death sentence every time you closed your eyes.

Just, silent, sweet serenity as the waves crashed across the Sentinel Beach.

He'd came back to visit someone, someone he'd missed and known since he was a kid. She understood him, knew how he felt just by looking, could always make him crack a smile on even the most miserable day.

Keira.

She'd have probably settled down by now, Jak thought; a bright, pretty teenager with heaps of talent, caring and kind. Her bubbly attitude could light up a dark room instantly, and that smile, oh, that adventurous, sweet smile just made his heart _melt._

She was the perfect girl for anyone, and Jak feared he'd been gone far too long to make her realise that.

*Flashback*

"Keira, why don't you just give up on Jak and hand around with me?" somebody - a boy - was interrupting Keira's lecture about manners again. Jak looked around sheepishly, eyes focusing on him once again, silently punishing him for his inability.

"Yeah!" the boys chorused, making Jak shrink into Keira's shadow.

"Yeah Keira, how can he be fun when he doesn't even-"

Another boy joined the crowd. He didn't finish his sentence, however, and ended up with a smack in the mouth instead of sucessfully taunting Jak.

"Oh, so you think you're more fun than Jak? Is that it?" she spat, gesturing with her hand, looking to each person individually. "You think that all of you are sooo entertaining with your wisecracks and oh so funny jokes." she stomped her foot on the ground, and the boys veered back from her anger. "Thinking you're so damn clever.." she breathed.

"Well you are most definently not. I'd rather drown than be caught with you guys." she sneered. "I think you'll find..."

Jak, who was still recieving glares, put a firm hand on Keira's shoulder to stop her. He shook his head, ashamed of himself for causing her to act like this. Upon looking at his sad eyes, she bit her lip, so angry she was on the verge of tears.

"I-I think you'll find that Jak is more fun than all of you put together! He's understanding and a good friend, better than anyone of you, better than-!"

She stopped, and Jak turned her around and led her away, pulling on her arm softly. "Jak, no, I have to tell them-" Jak shushed her by placing a finger to her lips, and without another word from either, they carried on walking away from the jeering crowd.

*End Flashback*

'Snap'

A twig broke in two beneath his feet, and the sound made him realise just how dark and eerie the night was turning out to be. Alone at the edge of the forest, facing the sea.

The memories seemed all too real, but things were different now. Despite not talking, people respected him for who he was, which was expected seen as though he'd saved them and ran around doing their errands numerous times.

The cool night air whipped at his heels before he set off to find Sandover Village, his hometown, where hopefully Keira still remembered all the happier times they'd spent together.

* * *

"Oh Jak..." Keira was pacing around her lab, for at least the hundreth time that night. The twilight orange that had highlighted the room had vanished, to be replaced with thinning blackness.

"I wish you'd just come back. I'd feel so much less alone and upset..." her mouth quivered and ached, her jawbone jittering as she looked out of the doorway, into the night sky.

She pictured how he'd appear from the trees, a grin and a laugh, his perfect face beaming as he walked. His silent language would make the visit even more special, as words wouldn't be needed for such a momentous occasion. She wouldn't be able to speak either, just too overjoyed to form a single word.

The fantasy only shook her, and suddenly a tear sprung from her eye, bitter like her time spent in the laboratory, wasted on sitting hours after hours, waiting for her hero to return.

"Nngh...I'm not...crying...!" her voice rose into a wail and her face scrunched up, knowing it was loud enough to be heard by neighbours. Like her suspicion, the floorboards above her creaked after her cry, and Keira froze almost instantly.

"Daddy. If he finds out I'm crying he'll only worry..." she whispered, only squeaking out the words as her voice was borderline tearful. Composing herself quickly, but not successfully, she breathed out a hiccupped sigh.

"...And if he knew the reason..." she brought a closed fist to her mouth in thought, and scrunched up her eyes at the vision of him finding out Jak had caused her cries.

"It's not even Jak's fault, it's my own..."

'Creak.'

Her feet rooted to the earthy ground beneath, and her ears flicked, intent on listening to her Dad's movements.

'What if he comes downstairs to find me like this?' her face was slightly blotchy, nothing a shadow couldn't hide, but deep down Keira knew she was a terrible liar.

Quickly, her feet skidded across the floor as she grabbed a pen and notepad. Ripping a piece out, she scribbled a note, ink blotches spraying as her hands shifted across the lines, before pinning it to the wall with a nail from her work.

As soon as the letter stuck, her legs jumped and she fleeted from her room in a desperate hurry to escape. 'I doubt he'd come down, but just to be safe...' giggling to herself about her sneaking, she smiled and ran across the bridges leading to the heart of the village.

With the Lurkers gone, anyone could walk around as these pleased, and that was exactly what she intended to do. The sands were cool, and the ocean waves wrapped around her ankles lazily. "Ah, I'm free!"

"Why didn't I do this before?!" she breathed, literally swinging her arms around whilst spinning in joy. The leaves fluttered by her fingers swiftly and her eyes closed, humming a soft tune in her harmony.

Running blindly up the stone Sentinel steps she faltered, but didn't stop. To be free, that's all she wanted. _Free _from the hard work, _free_ from the tiny basement she'd stayed in, _free_ from the life she knew.

Free.


	2. I've Missed You More

NEWSFLASH! I finished Jak and Daxter TPL 100%! Onto Jak 2! (Already started it straight away lol) R&R PLEASE!

I drew the front cover too, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Jak and Daxter, it belongs to it's respective owner.

Melodies of Return

Chapter 2: I've Missed You More.

The crisp leaves crunched beneath his feet, as Jak skimmed over the ground in a silent rush. The whole atmosphere was alive with the sound of waves and the calls from exotic birds. Mist had settled faintly across the stone paths, and Jak's vision blurred from tiredness.

He'd travelled all the way from the Volcanic Crater, through Rock Village and over the Fire Canyon. It had been easier said than done, as Daxter had pointed out numerous times along the way.

The said ottsel still hadn't caught up with the hero, to which he was still relieved. If he did find Keira, he did _not_ want an interruption.

He fondly remembered the moment they'd shared after destroying the plans of Gol and Maia, also destroying them in the process, and wondered what it would of been like to actually kiss her. Keira had probably kissed tons of boys before, being so likeable- she would've forgotten that special moment by now. 'I hope she hasn't...'

Creeping past the huts of the villagers, the wooden bridges creaked haughtily, the snores from the houses reminding Jak he desperately needed sleep. The whole journey was tiring.

He crossed the last bridge to the house of both Keira and Samos. Usually, Keira would be up in her workshop, testing on metals and potions.

She'd always look worn out, pushing herself forward to get things done. "I-I'm not tired! I just need to upgrade the zoomer's heat shield again, it isn't performing too well..." Jak would shake his head, knowing he couldn't win an argument with her. "I'll sleep soon, I promise!"

However, from his window, he always watched as dawn started to break, and Keira wouldn't have shown any signs of moving from her position in front of her desk. He also noted that she'd just sit there, head on the desk, sighing at whatever she was working on. Occasionally, she'd tie her hair up in a scruffy ponytail and work outside under the hot sun.

She'd be covered in oil grease and dirt, she'd sometimes bruise her elbows and graise her knees in the ground. Whenever he visited her, she'd become embarrassed by her lack of effort to keep herself tidy. She'd try to hide herself in the shadows, or at least scrub her face with a cloth, usually making the mess worse.

Keira took pride of her image, and despite choosing the most un-clean job in the village, she always wanted to look her best. Jak, of course, liked her image however she looked- whether she'd prettied her hair with flowers and her locks were particularly lustrous to match her white smile, or she was covered head to toe in black sludge, a pout and strands of hair dangling like threads.

Reaching top of the bridge, snores like thunder greeted him. Jak rolled his eyes. That wasn't Keira, as he'd like to think her snores were no more than a cute snuffle. 'Samos, you could sleep quiter...' Silently, he peeked through the circular window of which Keira could be found.

Nothing. Not a single trace of her. Jak's heart sank slightly, and a spark of worry flashed in his mind. A lamp burned next to her workspace, it's light lingering across the cracked walls. The orange glow was the only movement in the entire room. Jak craned his neck through the window, before stepping through the doorframe.

He spied blueprints littered near the flame. She'd drawn out plans for the next zoomer upgrade. 'Whoa...' His eyes widened at it's intricate design, but he knew she was capable of building it. A mirror hung from a nail, and he squinted at it's reflection, turning it left and right. The prototype of the model hid in the midst of the shadows. It was halfway there, gears spinning and engine fixed into the frame.

He was proud of her, no one else he knew could do these things. She was amazingly smart and talented, but kept her attention from others to a minimum.

Mind trailing to her whereabouts, his head spun, trying to think of places she could of went. The island was massive, but knowing Keira it wouldn't be far, she hated walking long distances- the portals built in the sages labs were her ideal transportation.

Other events flashed through his mind, and his feet patted the ground impatiently. He knew he shouldn't go looking for her without a single clue, but it may be his only chance. 'A pretty girl, the villagers asleep, lurkers still wandering the sands...although scarce.' he thought.

At that point he turned on his heel, the air growing tense and mind still buzzing from possible kidnapping scenes. Just as he was about to break into a sprint, a gale hissed through the window. The impact knocked over a clay pot full with sparkling blue eco, and it's contents fizzed all over the floor.

'She'll go mad...' He rushed to pick up the pieces, when something caught his eye. A lone note, paper slightly creased and feeble. It had been hammered into a crack by a nail, ink blotches sprayed over it's lines.

Abandoning the broken pot, he snapped it from the wall in a rush. Upon seeing the neat handwriting and first word, a wave of relief washed over him. 'Oh, Keira..'

Daddy,

If you've woken up and came down here to find me, don't worry. I've just gone for a short walk across the beach. Couldn't sleep and needed some air, I'll be back soon!

- Keira

Jak chuckled at her precautions of explaining her father everything. 'Just like Keira to do that.' Her ways of reassuring him, although her father definently wasn't going to be awake anytime soon. Samos would only say something like; "Keira, you could just walk outside the house for air!" But Jak knew what she meant. She wanted to escape.

Deciding the lantern's flame was unsafe unguarded, he softly blew it out. The room was consumed by darkness immediately, and Jak hastily stepped over the broken pot. He'd warn Keira about it as soon as he reached her, or at least walk her back and clean it up for her.

He leapt out of the lab door and skidded down the bridge, feet flying. It felt like a power up of blue eco, the excitement building up of meeting with Keira once again. Maybe some of the eco that spilt had been absorbed when he picked up pieces of the pot.

'No,' he smiled, cheeks turning slightly pink. 'It's all because of Keira.'

Reaching a grassy hill, he looked down onto the beach. The mountain waterfall crashed down into the marine sea next to him, and the wind whipped at his spiked hair as his eyes scanned the sands.

The wind also carried sounds, pelican calls and rolling waves. There was something else that flowed on the gale, and his ears flicked at the sound. It was different. Hypnotic. Serene. Like nothing he'd ever heard before.

'That's...'

Singing.

The melody danced around his face, enticing him to follow it. It was familiar. He scratched his cheek in wonder. It still hovered in the air, light and uplifting. Without another thought, he jumped from the cliff and landed beside the sea cave, hermit crabs dotted around it's decaying walls.

The sonata flitted, and he turned in it's direction. A stone Sentinel, one of them anyway. 'But which one?' the song was becoming mixed with natural sounds, and he chased it over the beach.

Tripping over the shifting sands, he climbed over barnacle rocks and slippery seaweed. The melody kept him going, and he reached the first sentinel, aged steps tiring him as he stumbled up them. The vocalist wasn't there however, and he sighed, exhausted.

Leaning on the wall, he turned his head left and right, looking to the other sentinels statues.

It was when that he spied the figure.

As it was dark, it was only their outline, lighted by the moon. It could only be the singer, he was certain. 'That's her!' his mind screamed wildly. It was times like this he wished he could speak, because he'd shout out to her in a frenzy.

Putting the two thoughts together, his mind caught up on the situation. 'I'm looking for Keira, and I'm interested in finding the singer...the voice is female, no doubt about it, and barely anyone strays from Sandover on a night...'

'It must be Keira singing, but I didn't know she had such a talent...not to mention a beautiful singing voice.'

Creeping down from the tower, he skimmed over, dodging the waters that threatened to splash his feet. He needed to find out if the amazing voice truly was Keira's, and if it was, he knew for a fact she wouldn't let him listen to her. She was always so shy and secretive around him.

At the top, he hid behind a pillar, listening in. That was Keira's voice, alright. He could listen to her for hours, discovering her singing was so soothing and beautiful. He didn't want to scare her so suddenly, by appearing out of the blue.

She'd be mad anyway, for him being gone so long. 'I'll apologize again and again until she accepts it.' he planned, whilst figuring out a subtle way to greet her.

He was about to step forward when...

'SNAP.'

'You're kidding me...'

Keira froze. Her singing halted as she lowered her voice down to a murmur. The air had suddenly became eerie and tense, as her breathing was the only thing audible around her.

Wait, no it wasn't,

'Someone else is here too.' her eyes widened. She didn't have the slightest idea of how to act. 'No one creeps up on me...' she thought. '...who could of followed?' Instantly thinking it could be a kidnapper, her mind stuck to that idea. She closed her eyes, planning her movements, before doing something she'd regret.

Spinning her whole body around, her foot collided with the mystery person's stomach, resulting in a well placed kick. "Aha! You're not kidnapping me tonight!" she hissed, the darkness hiding the true identity of Jak. He groaned, the impact nearly sent him tumbling back down the tower, but instead he knelt, clutching his stomach in pain.

With not be able to speak to explain, he could only sit and gesture who he was, whilst sitting and groaning. Keira cocked her head to one side, still not aware of him at all, but she could tell it was a boy.

"What the hell are you doing?! That's what you deserve for sneaking up on me!" she exclaimed in anger. "Eh? Speak up!" She instructed, hands on her hips. "Did you expect me to surrender?!"

Jak looked up, wondering why she hadn't recognised him. Then it hit him. Keira was directly in front of the moon, and she was also directly in front of him. Meaning that he was completely covered in shadow, even his hair wasn't visible.

Watching the guy struggle, her heart sank a little. 'The blow wasn't that painful, was it?' she chewed on her lip, not sure on what to do.

He'd sneaked up on her after all, what was she meant to do? She considered her actions; help, dive over him and run, or strike him again.

Just as she was about to come to a decision, the guy shakily gestured with his hand for her to move sideways. She slapped a hand to her forehead in despair. 'Out of all the kidnappers, I get the nutcase one.'

She moved anyway, and the moonlight she'd blocked filled out over his figure, and to her dismay she saw the reality of what she'd done.

"Jak! Oh jeez, what have I done?!" she squealed, heart burning she rushed over to his side in worry. "Are you okay?! I'm so sorry!" she repeated it over and over again, eyes glazed in concern for his injury.

He waved his hand to dismiss her. The apprehension in Keira's face didn't fade at Jak's halfhearted waves, as she didn't stop fretting over him.

"We should get you back to the village, I mean, I did kick you pretty hard..." Jak's eyes met hers in a serious exchange, of which she sighed and gave in. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders tightly, she heaved him up into a standing position. He hobbled over to the wall overlooking the ocean, and rested on it's support.

"Don't ever, ever, sneak up on me like that again!" she huffed, walking to join him, still guilty. "My heart was in my mouth! You could of at least waited until morning to greet me!" the last bit was a complete lie, she had wanted him back by her side more than anything.

Jak gave her an apologetic look, and her heart melted. She had a troublesome case of being too forgiving with Jak, because each and every time he flashed her those sad eyes, she couldn't resist giving in.

"Argh, you..." she slapped his shoulder playfully, and he pouted with mock hurt. She folded her arms across the wall, and buried her head in them with despair. "You really don't realise how scared I was..." she mumbled, letting her emotional shield come down a tiny bit. "I really thought..."

He patted her shoulder with his hand, pointing to his stomach and giving her a look of; 'you don't know how scared I was.' She chuckled at his humour, smirking. "Yeah, well. I coulda done a lot more damage than that!" she gritted her teeth, demonstrating her tough attitude. They both laughed at her, before it dwindled into seriousness.

"I..." she sighed, shaking her head, trying to place her words right. "I missed you..." she muttered, almost silently. Jak still heard her, and even if he hadn't he'd still of been able to guess.

She looked sad. Really sad. 'I suppose she hasn't really been talking to anyone...' Keira's only close friend was himself, and then it Daxter. But then again, Daxter wasn't the most supportive friend in the world.

'Take a risk, Jak, take a risk...' closing his eyes, and flicking them open, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Keira's shoulders.

"Jak, I..." her voice trailed away, as she relaxed her back onto him, awkwardness leaving them. All the feelings of tiredness and lost hope freed from her mind, and she turned around and hugged him tightly back. She sighed happily, she'd longed for this. This true moment of heaven.

'Her hair smells of berries...' he laughed, stroking it's turquoise ends with his fingers. She felt him laughing and looked up to face "What're you laughing at...?" she mumbled, giving him a questioning look.

The two both broke into laughter, neither quite sure why exactly. They were just glad to have found each other once again.

Realising her arms were still grasping onto his back, her face turned sudden scarlet under his gaze. She couldn't look directly at him, and instead focused on the horizon. But Jak didn't seem to sense the returning awkwardness, and joyously hugged her again, surprising and nearly squeezing the life out of her.

If he could've spoke, his exact words would have been; "I've missed you more."


End file.
